Investigators say Riverdale fire deliberately set (video)

EDMONTON - Edmonton fire investigators have determined Monday’s house fire in Riverdale, which caused an estimated $95,000 in damage, was deliberately set.

Fire crews blocked access in front of the home on 90th Street at 101A Avenue as they fought the fire inside the white, single-storey house Monday night. The home’s main floor was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived, said fire Capt. Don Gyepesi.

A crowd of bystanders outside the home told firefighters there was a chance there was a person still inside. Crews quickly searched the home but didn’t find anyone, he added.

Crews responded to the blaze around 10:45 p.m. and had the fire out within about 15 minutes, Gyepesi said.

A pair of kittens rescued from the home were given oxygen by paramedics at the scene. The felines whined and whimpered as paramedics cleaned soot from their fur and wrapped them in towels.

A large crowd of residents from the area quickly gathered to watch the drama unfold.

The two cats were later taken to an animal hospital for further treatment and were expected to survive, Gyepesi said.

“Like anything, it’s a good moment when they find somebody alive or something alive in that kind of a situation,” he said. “As soon as they find an animal, they’ll leave — they’ll tell the crew they’ve gotta take it out.”

A third cat pulled from the scene died, Gyepesi said.

The home has been rented to two men since last September, but an eviction notice was served Sunday, said Gordon Coxson, who said he is the son of the homeowner.

He said the building was slated for demolition in the “not-too-distant future.”

The home is attached to a small commercial building that carried a faded sign reading “Riverdale Grocery.” Longtime Riverdale resident Allan Shute said the commercial space has been empty since around 1999. Since then, the building has been rented as a residence, he added.

Jenna Roche was watching TV at home when the strong odour of burning plastic wafted through the windows of her home just down the street.

“Just burning plastic, really strong. So I shut all my windows,” she said as she watched fire crews work.

She quickly realized something bigger was happening when she saw the lights of fire trucks reflected in her windows. Soon the wail of their sirens was just outside her home.

She said she rarely saw people coming and going from the house that caught fire.

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